Win a download of Dead & Company “Playing In The Sand” 1/17/2019 show
Written by Sister Sylvie on January 24, 2020
Tune in to Homegrown Music Show (SAT. & SUN. noon-3pm Eastern Time) to win the 1/17/2019 show! Call in 814-865-9577 or email Sister Sylvie at homegrowndj@yahoo.com to get in on it!
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The mid-winter pilgrimage of Dead & Company and their growing legion of followers to the Yucatan Peninsula for the event aptly named “Playing In The Sand.” January of 2019 marked the second time that the band and followers made that trek.
The band kicks off the festivities on opening night with a song that couldn’t be less descriptive of the idyllic surroundings – “Shakedown Street” – but gets things grooving nonetheless. Other first-half highlights include one of Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s final contributions to the Grateful Dead repertoire, “Mister Charlie,” nicely delivered by John Mayer, “Friend of the Devil,” the lyrically apt “Here Comes Sunshine” and a set-closing pairing of “New Speedway Boogie” and “Bird Song.”
Set two launches with the always-welcome “China Cat Sunflower,” but instead of the expected transition into that song’s most constant companion, “I Know You Rider,” the band executes a deft tempo shift and key change and jumps into a spirited “Cumberland Blues,” which in turn leads into “Rider.” Up next is the towering “Terrapin Station,” the final chord of which dovetails perfectly with the hypnotic drone generated by Mickey Hart on The Beam, serving as prelude to the Drums and Space segments. Bob Weir then delivers a tender and moving “Stella Blue” before the band brings the set to a resounding conclusion with the “Help On The Way>Slipknot!>Franklin’s Tower” triad. A lovely “Ripple” provides a gentle coda.
